Letter of the week: EU legislation to blame for decline in Hartlepool's fishing industry

Mail Letters

Seeing the slow but inexorable decline in our fishing industry has been frankly heartbreaking.

Our once-proud fishing fleets have been decimated by EU legislation.

During the referendum campaign, fishing communities were among the loudest voices in the Leave camp, having experienced how disastrous EU policy has been to our country.

It was hoped that, with the Brexit vote, we could reclaim the 200-mile exclusive economic zone to which we are entitled under international law, and repatriate the 70% of the total allowable catch in British waters that are currently taken by EU vessels.

However, government ministers have confirmed that the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will be included in the Great Repeal Bill, which will transpose all EU law onto the British statute books for a transitional period.

Frankly, this is an abject betrayal of Brexit.

My colleague, Mike Hookem, Ukip’s fisheries spokesman, has launched a petition to force the government to remove it from the this Bill.

I have long been dismayed as the fishing fleets in the North East have decreased, thanks to the EU.

I would urge everyone to get behind this petition, Stop the Common Fisheries policy being adopted into UK law post-Brexit, which can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/204098